PPP, Govt handed over their drafts, ball is in Maulana’s court.
It seems that PTI wants to sabotage the process of constitutional amendments, Bilawal
PTI Slams Constitutional Amendments as Unconstitutional,
Islamabad-(Mudassar Iqbal)-The PPP presented its “draft” before the committee, while the government informed the committee about its consultation with the lawyers’ bodies.
“Maulana Fazlur Rehman reiterated his stance that he wants to present the ‘joint draft’ with the PPP,” he said while referring to the JUI-F chief.
“I also repeated the same stance that all the political parties should be on board,” he added.
Bilawal went on to say that the law minister expressed confidence about having the “complete numbers”.
If the federal government wants to bring a “joint draft” despite having a two-thirds majority then it is for the best, he said.
However, he said that how long will the government wait for a joint draft to be finalised, with all the other tasks pending.
The PPP chief said that he wants JUI-F to present its draft before the PPP as the latter has presented before the former.JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has urged all political parties to create broader consensus on constitutional matters, he also requested the stakeholders not to dividie judiciary on political lines,
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Friday after meeting with PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Fazal said that after receiving of govt proposed documents, JUI-F legal team was reviewing the document.
Maulana Fazal proposed to the government to restore 18th constitutional amendment and repeal 19th constitutional amendments which he claimed will increase the role of parliament in judges’ appointments. He said, “if our suggestions are accepted, there can be a consensus on the constitutional amendments”. Maulana Fazl claimed, “JUI-F position on the proposed amendments has been accepted by the people”.
Talking about PTM, Fazal was surprised why government has issued ban on PTM, adding that JUI-F will not accept these unconstitutional steps by the government. He also flayed violence against innocent and peaceful protestors.
Chairman Pakistan People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari while talking to journalists in his chamber Parliament House said that the government has given me this space for a month to reach a consensus on constitutional amendments related to judicial reforms. He said that only the final document of the PPP has come out, while the draft has not been formally received from Maulana Fazlur Rahman.
Bilawal revealed that PPP has submitted its draft on establishment of constitutional court and mechanism of appointment of judges in the court.
PPP wanted an amendment in Article 175, A, B, D, E, and F of the constitution.
According to the draft, constitutional court in the federation and provincial levels must be set up. According to the amendment, the high courts will be able to hear appeals of lower courts.
It has been suggested to establish the Constitutional Commission of Pakistan for the appointment of judges along with judges on provincial levels.
“We want supremacy of all state institutions and Parliament and reforms in judiciary and setup of constitutional courts were our priorities,” Bilawal Bhutto Zardari highlighted.
The ‘Constitutional Package’, among other things, aims to set up a federal constitutional court and fix the tenure of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) for three years.
The government had aimed to present the bill to amend the Constitution last month, but its allies as well as members from the opposition benches vehemently opposed the proposal, forcing the administration to begin a consultation process.
Fazl, while talking to journalists today, said that the government presented their draft for the constitutional amendments before his party for the first time. The statement came after a meeting of the Special Committee of Parliament today to hold a discussion on the proposed constitutional amendments.
The fifth in-camera meeting was attended by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentarians and federal ministers. The JUI-F top leader said that the PPP had also given suggestions, adding that the parties will begin consultations with the government in this regard.
He said that the JUI-F would hold consultations with the PPP separately. Moreover, the party will also share its draft with the PTI as well to reach a consensus, the veteran politician added. Fazl, however, declined to mention the time by which the constitutional matter will be resolved. “Right now, we have just agreed to reach an agreement on the proposed constitutional amendments.”
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar said that many suggestions have been presented before the committee. “At least the uncertainty, which had been created, has now come to an end,” he added. Commenting on the contents of the joint draft, the law minister said that the amendments suggest what should be the authority and formation of the judicial commission.
Moreover, the establishment of constitutional courts and judges’ transfer has also been discussed.
Addressing a press conference after the meeting, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that all the political parties expressed their opinion in the meeting.
Bilawal, the former foreign minister, further said that the ruling coalition decided that they would not bring the constitutional amendments before the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which is scheduled to take place in Islamabad on October 15 and 16.
A report said that the PML-N and the PPP have made significant progress in their discussions, reaching a consensus on the draft of proposed constitutional amendments.
This breakthrough occurred during Thursday’s crucial meeting at the Punjab House between PML-N President Nawaz Sharif and Bilawal.
Meanwhile, sources said that the PTI had not yet made any statement regarding today’s meeting. They said that the Imran Khan-led party would make the “final statement” after meeting him in Adiala jail where he is currently prohibited.
The JUI-F has separately prepared a 23-point draft concerning judicial reforms, proposing the establishment of a Supreme Court bench instead of a separate constitutional court. The meeting concluded with a commitment to further consultations.